A printing press, and in particular a sheet-fed offset printing press, is known from DE 200 10 920 U1 and EP 1 167 036 A1. To determine the quality of a printed image which is arranged on the imprinted material, an image registration device registers the imprinted material. An evaluation device, which is connected with the image registration device, compares the image of the imprinted material, which was registered by the image registration device, with a reference image. The imprinted material is covered with a plurality of identical printed images. The evaluation device only evaluates a part of the printed images on the image of the imprinted material. In the case of an agreement of the evaluated partial amount with the reference image, the evaluation device issues a signal to a counting device for registering the partial amount.
A method for identifying a single proof copy, which contains a printed image of defective quality on an imprinted material containing several proof copies is known from DE 44 32 371 A1. An inspection system takes a picture of the imprinted material with a camera and processes data from the picture taken in an image processing system. The image processing system compares the data from the picture taken with a single proof copy in a data set relating to the imprinted material.
The technical article by Dieter Kleeberg “The Linked Printing Plant,” in the supplement to the company publication KBA Report No. 14 of Koenig & Bauer AG, Wurzburg, 2000, pp. 4, 6, 7, discloses that it is known to combine positional data for further processing, and data for inline quality control into a data set by the use of a uniform data file, such as, for example, CIP3-PPF-data files. By proceeding the data in this way, it is only necessary to compile a data set once for use in the identification of individual error-containing proof copies and for further processing.
An image inspection system for a printing press is known from DE 203 03 574 U1. The imprinted material, which was imprinted with proof copies, is recorded by an image recording system. The image signals so obtained are processed in a downstream-connected image processing arrangement. A printing device, which can be controlled in accordance with the image signals, is arranged downstream of the image recording system. By use of the printing device, markings for identifying areas determined to be in error can be created at predetermined locations of the imprinted material. As a result of those markings, misprinted proof copies can be removed in an appropriately embodied further processing device.
A method for use in determining the position and/or the shape of at least one marker on a web to be imprinted is known from the later published EP 1 403 045 A2. The position and/or the shape of that at least one marker in the image to be printed is determined by the use of pre-press data.